Haredi leaders, including the Munkatcher Rebbe, vehemently oppose this
informed consent requirement – not because they think it is too weak,
but because they do not think it should exist at all. The Munkatcher
Rebbe and other haredi rabbinic leaders argue that MBP is not harmful to
babies – despite copious scientific evidence and historical proof to
the contrary.
A Chabad mohel performs metzitzah b'peh in Brooklyn in late 2012
Munkatcher Rebbe And Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson Discuss Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
At a campaign visit with the Munkatcher Rebbe in Borough Park, mayoral candidate Bill Thompson discussed metzitzah b’peh (MBP) – the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis-sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off the baby’s foreskin – at length, Yeshiva World reported.
“The Jewish law forces us to reckon with any health danger. This became the number one, number ten and number thousand’ issue for the community. You stand with us on this issue and G-d will stand with you,” the rebbe reportedly said.
MBP has killed babies for centuries by transmitting various diseases and viruses, including the Herpes Simplex 1 virus. Neonates have immature immune systems and are at extreme risk from HSV-1, which has killed at least two babies and maimed and sickened many more in New York City over the past decade.
The city recently instituted an informed consent requirement that forces parents to sign an informed consent document before MBP is done on their baby.
Haredi leaders, including the Munkatcher Rebbe, vehemently oppose this informed consent requirement – not because they think it is too weak, but because they do not think it should exist at all. The Munkatcher Rebbe and other haredi rabbinic leaders argue that MBP is not harmful to babies – despite copious scientific evidence and historical proof to the contrary.
They have made repeal of the informed consent requirement a litmus test for their political support – and for their followers’ bloc votes.
Last week, Thompson promised one of the two Satmar factions that he would "revisit" the informed consent requirement if elected mayor. The Satmar faction promised him more than 10,000 bloc votes in return.